Psychological Study on the Relationship between Covid-19-Related Stressors and Child Maltreatment

Abstract

Introduction: It is common knowledge that during catastrophes and disasters, children are a vulnerable demographic. The COVID-19 epidemic, like a usual catastrophe, created uncertainty and uncertainty in the social and financial growth of the community and public estrangement, which might result in child abuse. The purpose of this research is to determine how parenting and factors like job loss, decreased income, and parenting style impact child abuse.

Methods: Between May 29 and June 16, 2020, we performed a cross-sectional online survey with 600 casually selected parents in Hong Kong, age 18 or older, who had and resided with a kid under the age of ten. A panel of parents' mobile phone numbers was chosen at random to form the participant list. After getting their online agreement to participate in the survey, 600 out of the 779 employed aim parents successfully finished the study using a web-based approach.

Results: Work loss or significant salary decrease were also strongly connected to serious (odds ratio OR= 4.68, 95% confidence interval CI = 2.35, 11.20) and serious physical attacks (OR= 3.06, 95% CI = 2.19, 14.09) against children, but neither of these variables was significantly associated with mild physical assaults (OR = .30, 95% CI = .16, .54) or serious physical attacks (OR = 8.70, 95% CI = 3.25, 27.43).

Conclusions: Financial instability, such as a drop in income or a loss of employment, increased the probability of severe and extremely serious physical attacks but guarded kids against physical abuse. Also, there was a strong negative correlation between using physical punishment during the pandemic and the ability to successfully manage preventive COVID-19 behaviors with children and teaching COVID-19.